09 July 2008

The Silent Ballet IX

i wrote about The Silent Ballet compilation series in an early entry on this blog. since that writing, a few new volumes have appeared, and i wanted to take a moment to spotlight the latest addition to the series, which really caught my ear recently. The Silent Ballet series (in collaboration with the Lost Children netlabel) has featured a lot of excellent artists, but in the past the series has suffered from some inconsistency in both musical style and quality. not so with this edition-- there is not one misplaced track on this compilation. The Silent Ballet IX is an absolutely beautiful collection of tracks which delicately combine strings and orchestral sounds with minimal electronics in a quiet post-rock sensibility. the compilation maintains a very cohesive, classical-inspired sound; each carefully selected track is an exquisite composition on its own, which also perfectly compliments the others. from the repressed intensity of the Bersarin Quartett, to the plaintive strains of Redhooker, to the soaring violins and piano arpeggios of Bosques de mi Mente, this is dream music for your nights and days.